“The world is an illusion. Only Brahman is real. The world is Brahman.” – Adi Shankaracharya

Have you ever had a dream so vivid that, for a moment, you believed it was real? In that dream, you played a role, interacted with people, and experienced emotions. But then, suddenly, you woke up. The dream dissolved, and you realized that none of it was real—it was just a projection of the mind.

What if I told you that your waking life is no different?

The Illusion of Reality

Many spiritual traditions, from Advaita Vedanta to Buddhism, teach that the world we perceive is a dream—an illusion created by the mind. This illusion, often called Maya, keeps us trapped in a cycle of identification with the body, thoughts, and emotions. We believe we are separate individuals, struggling to find meaning, love, and fulfillment in an external world.

But what if reality is not what it seems? What if your true nature is beyond this dream?

The Moment of Awakening

Waking up from the dream of reality does not happen through intellectual understanding alone. It is an experiential shift—an inner realization that what you thought was "you" is not real. Here are some signs that you are beginning to wake up

  • You question your identity. Who is the "I" that experiences thoughts and emotions? Is it really you, or just a collection of mental patterns?
  • You sense an underlying presence beyond thoughts. A stillness, an awareness that is unchanging, even as life moves on.
  • You detach from suffering. You start seeing pain and pleasure as temporary, realizing that they do not define your true being.
  • You experience moments of deep peace without external cause. These glimpses of presence reveal a reality beyond the mind’s constant chatter. 

 

Breaking Free from the Dream

So how do we wake up completely? Here are some practices that can help:

1. Self-Inquiry: Who Am I?

Sri Ramana Maharshi often taught that the most direct path to awakening is to ask, "Who am I?" Look deeply into the nature of the self. If you are not your thoughts, emotions, or body—what remains? The answer is not an intellectual one, but a direct realization of pure awareness.

2. Letting Go of Attachments

Much of what keeps us asleep is attachment—to people, possessions, beliefs, and even our sense of identity. Recognizing that all things are fleeting helps loosen the grip of illusion. When you stop clinging, you become free.

3. Observing Reality Without Judgment

Instead of labeling experiences as good or bad, simply observe them. See the world as a passing movie, and recognize that you are the screen, not the images projected onto it.

4. Meditative Awareness

Silent meditation brings you face to face with the stillness that underlies all experience. As you rest in awareness, the illusion of separation dissolves, and you recognize your true self as boundless, eternal presence.

5. Surrender to the Flow of Life

The more we resist reality, the more we suffer. Awakening is not about controlling life but surrendering to it. Trust that whatever happens is part of the unfolding dream, and remain as the witness beyond it all.

What Lies Beyond the Dream?

When you wake up, life does not necessarily change—but your perception of it does. You no longer take the ups and downs so seriously. You act in the world, but you are not of the world. You see everything as a divine play, a dance of consciousness appearing as form.

The dream does not need to be escaped; it simply needs to be seen for what it is. And when you see through the illusion, you rest in the truth that has always been—pure awareness, infinite and free.